Why I Might Not Be White

Inspired by the words of Christian Lander in Stuff White People Like on "High School English Teachers".  Those are quotation marks denoting the words inside are reported, they aren't like, "supposed" or anything.

If you're old, you might not know what "shit goes down" in High School English class in these days which pass us by.

1. Bitch about society;  
2. Explore the truths explored in the novel.  These days one is totes seeing so many people talking about "making things up" or whatevs about the novel.  They are just mainstream brats who just don't believe that the author could be smarter than them.  Just like how people totes "hate on" Tavs Gevs; 
3. Talk deeply, i.e. become TEENAGE PHILOSOPHERS (I wasn't shouting, though);
4. Listen to our own opinions and "learn from them";
5. Try to find meaning - in just the same way that we don't know what the aim is in our essays;
6. RELATE OURSELVES to the characters in the books. e.g why do we hate Emma Bovary so much - because we're just like her!  This is totes a good thing for society and for ourselves.  Because it's good to understand people;
7. Be objectively subjective or the other way around;
8. Exercise our moral high-ground; 
9. Find academic ways to tell our "peers" "You're thinking is shit";  
10.  Have the teacher explain to us our reaction to the characters and novel.  But English is not about being "personal", so one should totes not say what you thought about the characters because that is totes not academic.  THE STUDENT SHOULD PASS NO JUDGEMENT ON THE CHARACTERS OF THE CHARACTERS; 
11. Think up creative ways to express an opinion we don't understand / try to write a thousand-plus words without letting on that we know "fuck-all"; 
12. One's opinions are always valued by "peers" and the teachers, but on judgement day it is revealed that they are wrong/boring/immature/totallylackingincreativity/spokeninamonotone,whichshowsyouaretotesknowingyourcontenttoowellbutinabadway;
13. Be passionate and evoke responses.  In general, be inspired.  That's why kids these days are so good at creative writing. 

Numbering things is totes angsty, btw.

Some people think they are darn cool because they take English and they are thinking that English is cool because it is all about having your OWN OPINION, which pretty much means you don't have to be anyone but yourself.  Pretty much, English is about YOU BEING YOU.
Whatevs.

 But what I'm saying is that also, there's so much room for general growth in English.  Things not clear cut like in Mathematics where x is x, fullstop.  (bahahaha.) Life is not clear-cut.  Like Mathematics may totes be aconstruct which is why is clear-cut only if you see it as clear-cut.  Because the world is confusing.  But anyway, in English, you make the world from a world or two.  I've lost the point I was trying to make...  If you're the type of person who takes English over Maths, then you can have, like, life-changing experiences without actually living in the "real adult world"!  Like, you can totes be a teenager and read something life-changing like HARUKI MURAKAMI and just like get wise whilst still being at school!

In the world of deepness, you're not confined.
You're free, you're an Indie.

And so, white people would say that it's not just the book, it's also the teacher who brings you to understand your immaturity as both a person in the scheme of life and in your ideas.  Lap it up like a dog, children.

And now to another entirely connected rant.  What the hell is with Oral Presentations?  Remember that they are neither a discussion nor a lecture (though one may be discussing by oneself...)  They must be engaging but not a chat.  Engaging but not a chat.  Try not to read a speech, but at the same time, you should know exactly what you're going to say.  SUCH A BLOODY CONSTRUCT!!  I refuse to conform!  Especially when I don't know what I'm meant to be/do.  And I just don't think that creativity can be judged because I just don't think the idea of judging is right since I'm unsure of whether it's a creative process.  But is that not a deep truth about humanity?  As humans, we are stuck in this paradox...

What's Up?

Play 

Pottermore.com. This is where all the cool kids are. The illustrations are beautiful and there is EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. I would say it's pretty much perfect, but I wish to be able change my avatar. You see, I didn't realise there were two pages at the pet store and if I had seen page two, I would have bought a TOAD - because that would have been INDIE. 

I would like to publicly tell the world how lame I am - dude, I had to get a WALKTHROUGH in order to find my shopping list and to cast a spell. But then after I finished the Philosopher's Stone, I went back to the beginning with expert knowledge. 

I would also like to tell y'all about one of those moments Indies find themselves in ALL THE TIME. So I went to my friend's house right and I was excitedly telling her about Pottermore as though she wouldn't be knowing about it. And she was like, Yeah, I've been on for, like, a year (id est) as part of the BETA.

Watch

Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow whom my above friend is not a fan of just because she's not a fan of the movie Emma, just because she is not a fan of Jane Austen. 

So in this movie, the main character is called Helen and she's having a bad day and then she's wanting to catch the underground. And the theme is WHAT IF she had or had not been able to catch it. But the flicking back and forth between the two Helens is not at all confusing because of her HAIRCUT TRANSFORMATION. There's a cheesy hospital scene, but there are some really good QUOTE WORTHY lines and there is a TWIST at the end.

GROW

Usually when I buy plants to cultivate, they end up dying.

READ

The Tao of Physics (An exploration of the parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism) by Fritjof Capra 1975/1983. Seeing as it goes into relativity theory and quantum theory, this book should be quite difficult reading. However, the font in the copy I am reading makes me read faster than I normally do, and I would have to say it's the best font I've ever encountered for a regular sized book. 

(And on an aside, I think that these days books are made too big/ too small. I wish all books were the size of the Penguin Classics with the BLACK background!) 

I haven't yet gotten to the part of the book that talks about the serious parallels, but what I've learned so far is that one of the similarities between the two is that the deepest concepts have to be EXPERIENCED and cannot be expressed through words. 

And in this book there are lots of quotes by Lao Tzu. 

I picked this book off the school library shelf a) in the hope it would make the "penny drop" for physics, and b) because I wanted to be able to judge how hippy my ideas about the way the world works are.

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami is actually a novel I will study this term for World Literature. It's quite a strange book and it's made up of all these short stories (all by the author) which are snippets into someone's life where a bizarre/unusual occurrence occurs. In this way, the author is QUESTIONING NORMALCY. Yeah. And there was this super short 4-5 page story called 'The Little Green Monster' and I had NIGHTMARES for two night.

But anyway, if you like beer (which you probably do because you're an Indie), you'll like this book.

EAT

I'm in search of the perfect ANZAC biscuit.

Also, congratulations to the Simpson Prize winning students who spoke at the ANZAC Day service at Lone Pine. Phyllida Behm, you are officially an Indie Icon. To use an expression, you rock a certain style.

And that's because I say so.

And from my television at home, the dawn service at ANZAC Cove and the Lone Pine service looked UNREAL.

Get Into

Okay, everyone's sad because Sammy died and now Dance Academy Season Two is over. But SERIOUSLY, GUYS, you've got to get into Young Dracula Season Three. 

The seriously ANGSTY Vladimir Dracula is a little bit older and he's out to save the world. One of the things I love about this show is how the crudeness of the vampire world is meant to be funny but the humour is not crude. Do you get what I mean? No, you don't. Anyway, Vladimir's now got all these cool powers and the moral of the story is that love conquers all. 

Also, while I was watching the first episode, I was eating this really great sandwich which was of fresh sourdough baguette spread with harissa and filled with halloumi and rocket.

Argh! My holidays are over! I go back to school tomorrow. I don't know how I'm going to keep up with Young Dracula. Maybe I'll have to watch it on iview in the library during lunch/in my free periods.